Chapter 2: Palace
"Gentlemen," Integra said evenly, "Won't it be better to settle things calmly?"
Hardwin Howard, however, was desperate.
"Calmly!" he said bitterly, "You talk about settling things calmly."
Integra looked at him pensively. She would not be deterred from her plans to bring Walter back to his human self, or at least, his human consciousness, especially by emotional yelling.
But she could not begrudge Howard's rudeness. He had been unfortunate enough to be caught in the midst of the battle that night. What he saw, she believed, would forever sear in his memory.
She tried to be patient.
"We're only talking about Walter here, Sir Hardwin."
"Who's been turned into a monster, in case you forget." Hardwin said sarcastically. "Might I remind you, Sir Integra, that your loyalties lie with Her Majesty and England, and not a mere butler."
There were murmurs of agreement from some of the other knights.
Integra frowned.
"Walter's not a mere butler. He served England well, all the way back to the Second World War. Surely, you should grant that we at least try to save him."
Derek Islands spoke up.
"Given Walter's current condition, he might not want to be saved in the first place."
"I have considered it Sir Derek." Integra replied. "However, we… observed that Walter's more like a machine now. It seems that the Millennium has completely wiped out his abilities to think or feel. Without the Millennium's influence, he is quite harmless. You can trust us with him. Haven't we shown our capabilities by saving London?"
"Not before it was practically destroyed." Hardwin pointed out bitterly.
Integra grimaced. Yes, well, she couldn't argue with that.
The battle had lasted all night and well into the morning before it finally ended. The extent of the destruction was widespread and massive. Even now, the death toll continued to rise as newscasters reported the events in a bewildered fashion.
Everyone in London knew at least someone who had died. No one could explain what had hit London. Certainly, the government wasn't revealing anything.
And how could they, when there was no explanation save that they were attacked because a maniac wanted to start a war for no reason and an egotist went over the edge to cleanse the world of heretics?
"Sir Hardwin…" a soft, but firm voice came from the shadows. Howard cut it off immediately.
"Your Majesty, I've been in your service for decades. I fought in the war Sir Integra so kindly mentioned. But this destruction was beyond anything I've seen. That monster was a part of it. It must be destroyed."
It grated on Integra's nerve that Howard referred to Walter as it.
"Walter will be under Hellsing's charge," she said testily, "We'll see that he doesn't cause trouble."
The Round Table became quiet when she said that. The name Hellsing was not something to be taken lightly and Integra did not bring it up often. Deep inside, the Knights were afraid of Hellsing. They left Hellsing to do the dirty work, knowing that they did not have the tenacity and courage to deal with the activities Hellsing was involved in daily, or more accurately, nightly.
Integra turned to the Queen and said respectfully.
"Of course, it is for Your Majesty to decide."
The Queen leant forward so that her face came into the light. Everyone saw that she was slightly bemused.
"You're asking for permission Sir Integra? It is vampires we're talking about, after all. Who else is more qualified to handle vampires than Hellsing?"
Then, she turned solemn.
"I give you three months. There will be no further discussion."
Integra thought she understood the Queen's meaning.
That is all the leeway I can give you. After that, you must accept your failure.
Integra bowed her head and thought grimly.
Walter, you cannot disappoint me.